So… wow. Where to start? Well, journal, we got to the village. And it was a little weird. Hawky started a bit of a fight with some crows, but the village was kind of weird. No kids really. Well, a few, but they were either attached to something, or had bells. The village’s tavern wasn’t keen on us bringing a Fen in, so Janna decided to stay outside to watch them. More on that in a little bit.

Roxy… Roxy doesn’t know what alcohol is. Duran ordered some drinks and it wasn’t long before the Rhydan were both getting into mischief. Roxy mostly rubbed a pint that Duran ordered on her hands and arms. I don’t know if it was the fumes, or maybe an allergic reaction, but she got a little loopy. Hawky and Duran, well I’ll be honest journal, I don’t know if they are comrades in arms or bitter enemies. Duran has called Hawky every bird but a hawk, and Hawky has been calling Duran ‘metal head’. He informed me it’s because of the helmet. Neither is trying to kill the other, so I guess it’s a guy thing?

We retired to a common room to sleep, because it’s all the village had to offer. Not exactly the lap of luxury, but we are quite far into frontier land. And it wasn’t too bad. During the middle of the night we awoke to a small girl in our room. Her name was Chant and I’ll be honest, journal, we got more helpful information out of her than we did the adults. She told us that friends had gone missing, and that she has to wear a bell so her parents know where she is. Didn’t seem to be working too well, because she escaped her home in the middle of the night and got into the tavern. She was worried because she thought that her fear of heights would prevent her from becoming an adventurer, but she really wanted to see us because we adventure. The boys mostly ignored her, but me and Roxy talked to her, and she even gave Roxy a present (it was a bell). We took her home afterwards to make sure she was safe.

Oh! So, during the next day two things. One, the bath was kind of cold, and… no, sorry. One, Hawky saw some Fens creeping in the woods outside town, but before he could follow too far, they were gone. Two, Janna and the Fen are missing! I hope she’s alright, but being the superior staff fighter she is, I know she can fend for herself while we take care of more pressing matters. After all, a Sovereign’s Finest is a capable person, and these villagers need our help.

So we went into the forest and it wasn’t soon before we were surrounded by Fens. But these Fens didn’t want to fight. One of them spoke broken Aldin and asked us to come speak with the Mud Mother. Yes, that title is exactly what you’d expect. She was a very clear spoken woman, and offered us her tribe’s hospitality. But also, she was very frail and very pregnant. And the Bodrougille eggs. Hawky threw it up onto Duran. It was pretty funny, but I declined to try them. Ew. Sorry. She told us exactly what I suspected, that the Fens were having their children stolen too! And that there was a local legend, that in the lake bed there was a trapped curse, and draining the lake for a town unleashed this curse! Obviously we have to get to the bottom of this, so we went into the swamp to find the heart of the curse.

A dilapidated mansion greeted us. Roxy got terrified, started squeeing about a lady in white, and how her face contorted and tried to eat her. But whatever it was, it was in the manor. Duran wasted no time, he took his maul to the door and we went in. But Hawky and I could see there was arcane energy in the air. As we stepped in, the manor door slammed behind us. But wait, Lalwë, wasn’t the door smashed? Yes! But it reappeared. And that was the least of our worries. A flash of blinding light and suddenly we’re all kids. Twelve. Gravicarius’ third nipple this is the worst day ever. Being twelve was terrible, and the very first thing that went through my mind was all the village kids saying I looked like a boy. Great, so now there’s that. Duran’s hair is really funny, though. He used to cut it himself. And poor Hawky is a molting baby hawk. So cute. I don’t think Roxy realizes anything happened. Twelve. I am ashamed to say that it got the better of me and I may have been a little moody at first. Fine, a lot moody. But it was a difficult age for me. We resigned ourselves to finding out what’s going on after Hawky and Duran both calmed me. But this place is just full of arcana. A dining room had an illusion of fine foods and I should have known better, but being in a weird place and also seeing Grandma’s chocolate cake… well, let’s just say I almost ate rotted table gunk. Duran smashed the table though. Guess he wasn’t buying it. Maybe I just wanted it. I wonder what he saw though. Anyway, I might have lost my cool again, but dear Hawky brought me back. I’m fine now. I’m not twelve, even if I look it, and even if this is somehow permanent, I can grow my hair and take care of those little things. I just hate looking like that gangly, funny looking twelve year old that people mistook for a boy. The kitchen was a mess, when me and Hawky got in there, Duran was being pelted with pots and pans while Roxy was being swarmed by rats! Luckily, that meant an all you can eat buffet (they’re a thing in the Capital) for Hawky. Everyone did their best to get out of the bad situation, and I even redirected enough pots to clang into each other until they fell down and stopped pelting Duran.

But the next room… I don’t know where to start. And please ignore the tear marks. Scrawled on the wall in what we hope is mud is “The Innocent Summon An Evil Fellow”, and for some reason after reading that Roxy went rabid and attacked me. She jumped on me and tried to rip out my throat, but only got shoulder instead. It’s kind of a blur, but the next thing I know, Duran has knocked her off of me and smashed her across the room. I… I don’t know what happened, but she… sorry… she just disappeared. I don’t know why she attacked me, but wherever she is, I hope she is alright. I’m really worried about her.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Duran. He was always a nice boy, never deserved to be treated like he was just for being a Night Person. Oh! Wait, let me back up a little. Sometimes I forget I am not just keeping these journals for myself. This is my first journal entry as part of the Sovereign’s Finest. Myself and Hawky (though you have to call him Lucian) have become part of the Sovereign’s Finest thanks to our magical aptitude. We’re travelling with two other Finest, warriors both. Duran, my friend from childhood, and a Roamer named Janna. And of course, Roxy is tagging along, though I am unsure if she’ll ever be able to join the ranks officially. Then again, I don’t know that I have ever met a Rhy-raccoon Finest. I digress.

Anyway, we’ve been tasked with heading into frontier territory, on our way to check in on some isolationists on the far fringes of Aldis. Travel has gone well so far, and it seems to me we all mesh well enough. I haven’t talked too much with Duran though. I am worried I did something to offend. I may just be paranoid though. Our reunion was pleasant though. I’m probably just looking too deeply into it. Anyway, on our way down the road, we came upon a very poorly laid trap. Although we could see it well before it would ever have been an issue, some poorly laid tripwires and poorly hidden people behind a caravan, Hawky none the less took to the sky to get exact numbers. I approached with caution and care, hoping we could talk things through, and thankfully the people were looking for less of a fight than I (though they surely gave off the wrong impression at first). A young man, Amos, addressed us and through a cracking voice attempted to I think intimidate us? But a gruff woman named Grizele, the only one armed with anything other than a shovel, barked him down. We had a brief conversation, mostly on why they would greet us in such a way, and come to find out people have routinely gone missing over the last year or so since they started settling Lakesheart. It’s a farming village in a drained river bed. Hard living, but the Sovereignty makes it worth it to them. Several of the people have blamed natives of the region, people they call Fens. I find it difficult to believe it is that easy, and I am wary to just assume it is these people. But still, a lead is a lead, and while we aren’t out here specifically for these people, we are Sovereign’s Finest none the less and our duty is to help the people. I almost worry that the Fens are having people abducted too, and they blame the settlers. Hopefully time will tell.

Unfortunately, the Fens turned out not to be a very talkative bunch. They ambushed us while on the way to Lakesheart. I did my absolute best to try and talk the situation down, but their opening barrage of spears made it a little difficult. I am not going to lie, I took quite a beating and were Duran not with us I think I would have died. He… I know he is strong, but I have never seen someone act like he did in combat. It was as though he let go and allowed the battle to take him over. I’m not going to say it wasn’t scary, I’ll just say I’m glad I’ll never have to try to fight him. I was surprized, though, that Janna arms herself with a quarterstaff just as I do. She clearly has a better grasp of the weapon, but I’m hardly a warrior. Even still, I’ve never known a warrior to rely seemingly solely on the staff. Perhaps it’s a Roamer thing? I’ll have to ask her. No part of me thinks though, that the Fens thought a Raccoon would come out of nowhere and knock one of their party down because she clamped her teeth into their leg. That would have been comical, I’ll be honest, were we not in such a dire situation. A lot of it is a blur to me. I’m not a warrior. But I did my best to keep them immobilized without hurting them. They covered themselves in plants and vines, so it wasn’t hard to use their armour against them. A few of them got away, and I am sorry to say that a few more didn’t make it. But we and the villagers did. And we brought one with us. They are uncooperative right now, but hopefully I can get through to them, and figure out why they ambushed us.

As you all know, I am a Grell. A neutral evil aberrant and denizen of the dreaded Underdark. And like other Grells, I expand and devour. But even as we Grells expand and devour, there are some things so vile, so wickedly evil even we cannot fathom inflicting them on others. For though Grells may use out beaks to devour, we have never once pondered attacking the fundamental human rights of surface people. While Grells may not entirely understand human gender, we none the less have always and will always respect the intrinsic personhood each and every one of you have. Because to Grells, cisgender and transgender people all taste the same!

But for real, given the harrowing and constant attacks the Trump administration enacts against Queer and especially Trans people, I just want to let you all know that I see you, I love you and I will continue to fight for you as best as I possibly can. Trans people have always and will always exist, and our society is always better off for it. And while small minded and smaller handed men in suits and fake smiles continue to try to deny basic human rights to one of the most vulnerable populations in the United States, they cannot take away the beautiful existence and contributions transgender people have made, make and will continue to make. Our society is better off with you in it. I love you all. And it’s okay to feel down. It’s okay to take time off for self-care. These are some dark times. But none the less, continue to create. Continue to game. Continue to write. Continue to sing and dance and celebrate your stories. Continue to share with the world. Your voice is needed and valued. Now especially more than ever.

Friday, July 14th 1995 starts out in a bit of a haze for the five seemingly random strangers all visited by a mysterious industrial-goth guardian angel the night before. Parker decides that though it may not be his normal style, if there are going to be deranged mages after him he should have some protection. A shotgun and a saw later, he finds himself with a capable, if illegal,means of protection. Elizabeth decides that a taser is the safest option for a woman in her position. Both of them waffle on meeting at the mysterious address given to them by Tegan the night before.

Sandra, with little else to do and more questions than answers, decides to walk from her apartment in Southside to the address that she discovers is across the city and on Alba, AKA Crackhead Island.

When Nicole wakes up she discovers that last night was definitely not a strange dream. The sharpie on her hand gives her the address to meet, and more curious than cautious, she sets off in the early afternoon on her bike, taking a scenic ride through the city toward her destination.

Given that Parker not only has the time, but also the instinct of an investigator, after arming himself he heads to the address. Driving through the recent Government Projects that have sprung up on the north end of the island gives him a certain sense of caution, but as he continues toward his destination he discovers that as he passes the current building projects and low income housing, there are large swaths of land, scenic forest flanking the long island road. He comes to his destination, finding a well hewn fence of limestone, a wrought iron gate leading to a mansion that were it not for the neglect and obvious fire damage, would be one of the most immaculate he’s ever seen. Curious as to why the girl would send him here, he takes his time walking the perimeter of the gated property, only to find it is massive.

Caledonia is the city where most of the game will take place. The home base of the campaign, as it were. Sure, your adventures may take you elsewhere, but Caledonia is the place you call home.

Like many cities in the 1990s, Caledonia is built on the past and looking toward the future. It is sprawling and diverse, with its own inner workings, politics and culture. It is a microcosm of the world around it, and a place that the characters will help bring to life!

Wednesday, July 12th 1995 in Caledonia starts out like so many others. It is a pleasant mid-summer day, Caledonian adults go about their normal business, while Caledonian kids enjoy a lazy afternoon during their summer vacation.

Elizabeth Falls is a career woman, head of her specific R&D department at Acheron Industries. She clicks through slide after slide, careful to avoid the word ‘synergy’ no matter how many times it pops up on the corporate approved slides. Today she is walking a new team through what is expected of them working not only under her management, but also for Acheron. Her assistant manager Gregg concludes the meeting and leads the new team on while Elizabeth gets to work on a mountain of paper work. It looks like it’ll be a long few nights.

Parker Chea is a private investigator and street running enthusiast, who mixes his passion with work to provide for himself and help out his family. While waiting on a page about one of his current investigations, someone cheating on someone, he can’t even remember which spouse is cheating any more, he decides to catch up on some training at one of Caledonia’s premiere fitness centres. It is there that a guy strikes up a conversation with him, complementing him on his street running and chatting a little while they both catch their breath between exercises. A beep from the pager cuts the conversation short, as Parker heads out for another night of hiding in alleyways taking picture for spouses.

Nicole Farris is getting ready to play a mid-week gig at Charlie’s Place, a not so underground underground club on Main Street in Maxwell. Her band, Maelstrom, has been having some issues with drummer Dan, who has been showing up to gigs drunk, and not showing up to rehearsals at all. Tonight isn’t much different, Dan’s already pregamed, and though he swears he’s good to go because he’s “Keith fuckin’ Moon!”, he can’t seem to keep a hold of his drumsticks. A heated argument between Nicole and Dan ends when Jake, the bassist, jumps in and breaks it up, telling Dan to sober up before the gig, and leading Nicole off to cool down. Despite the rough start, the band has a good night.

Sandra “Fireclaw”, so named for her mean right hook, spends a quiet Wednesday afternoon hanging out and working out at Noice Park before getting some greasy though amazingly good lunch from Meatcher Street Bazaar. A bit of an outsider since her life went south, she’s been making a meager living off of underground cage fighting in Southside while continuing to live off of the savings her parents left her. Her boring week perks up when she gets home and receives a call from “The Boss”, one of the men who sets up the fights. It’s short notice, and sketchy, but the money is too good to pass up. Besides, she didn’t have any other plans for tomorrow night anyway.

Dante Edwards always has trouble sleeping around this time of year. Tomorrow will be eleven years since his life completely changed, but he tries desperately to put it out of his mind and focus on work. Today he’s meeting some clients at Caledonia Park, to scope out the surroundings for ideal wedding photography. While the bride to be trusts the professional’s opinions on scenery, no location, no angle, no exposure is good enough for groomzilla. An hour turns into two, into three while he tries to appease the finicky, dramatic groom. Finally agreeing on the plan, the soon to be married couple goes on their way while Dante heads home. Before he leaves the park, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, but he sees nothing around. Must be the time of year.

Hey Fangrells! I like making character sheets for the systems and games I run. But what good are they if I don’t share them? So check it, they’re all free to use so long as you don’t claim them as your own, and you let me know what you think! The latter is honestly more a request than a stipulation for use.

I will continue to update this particular post with the sheets I make. Enjoy!